Rom - Religion and Expressive Culture

Religious Beliefs.
In addition to traditions that may have earlier roots, the religion of
the Rom incorporates elements from Eastern European folk religions,
Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism. Today, although most consider
themselves Catholic, large numbers have turned toward evangelical
Protestant sects such as Pentecostalism. Beliefs are derived partly from
indigenous traditions and partly from the official and folk religions of
the countries among which the Rom have lived. God, O
Del,
and saints are venerated, and numerous spirits, some associated with
natural elements such as wind or water, are recognized. Some are
anthropomorphized; others more manalike in their expression. Luck,
Bax,
especially is considered an active supernatural force, closely bound
with the notion of fate. Symbolic uncleanness is sometimes also reified
as an incarnation of evil. Pollution, or marime taboos based on the
symbolic impurity of the lower body, especially of women, dictates
proper behavior between the sexes, older and younger people, food and
laundry handling, and the arrangement of household furnishings. The same
separation of clean from unclean also dictates the kinds of social and
economic relations permissible between the Rom and non-Gypsies.

Religious Practitioners.
No formal priests, shamans, or other religious specialists exist among
the Rom. A few women are noted as interpreters of dreams; others may be
feared as witches because of their age or ability to cast curses.

Ceremonies.
Major ceremonies with religious components include saint's day
feasts, baptisms, funerals, feasts of honor, weddings, and Easter,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations. All celebrate the Rom as a
people; by the giving of feasts, respect is demonstrated to both the
supernaturals and other Rom.

Arts.
Arts consist of music, including recent musical compositions and
adaptations, dance, folk songs, legends, and family history. Oratory,
especially at a Kris, may also be considered among the artistic
expressions of the Rom. Folklore serves educational, evaluative, and
prescriptive roles of major importance in the absence of writing and
more formal education.

Medicine.
There is some evidence that the Rom once possessed a rich body of folk
medicines, remedies, and cures, most of which by now have fallen into
disuse. There do not appear to have been any internally recognized
medical specialists, although the older women served as multipurpose
ethnopsychiatrists, herbalists, and curers for outside clients. Modern
medicine is accepted, and in cases of serious illness the best
physicians and hospitals are sought regardless of the cost or distance.

Death and Afterlife.
Spirits of the dead are believed to survive death. The deceased are
provided with money, a new suit of clothes, and travel necessities.
Their spirits roam the earth for one year after death, retracing the
steps traveled during life. The year after death is punctuated by a
series of memorial feasts, with the last one after a year formally
concluding the journey with a ceremony of "Opening the
Road," presumably to heaven,
raio,
and the liberation of the spirit from any further earthly obligations.
Anniversaries of death are also commemorated with food offerings,
generally by an extra place setting at a table. There is no
corresponding belief in hell. Death is considered as polluting, and the
appearance of spirits of the dead is generally feared unless the one
perceiving the ghost had an especially close and good relationship with
the person while alive. Nevertheless, one's ancestors may be
invoked to intercede on one's behalf at a time of great need.
Those Rom who have recently become Pentecostals have renounced most of
these beliefs and practices as "pagan."